Improvement in boiler-furnaces



E.'-F.AIR.

BOILER FURNACE.

Patented March 27,1877.

NPEIERSv PHOTGUTHOGRAPNER, WASIIHNGTON, D C

UN TED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE EDWARD FAIR; OFSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROMEMENT- IN BOILER-FURNACES.

Specification formingi'part of Letters latentzNo. 188,133, dated March27, 1877 application filed September: 23; 1876.

. To all whomt't mag concern:

Be it known thatll, EDWARD-FAIR, of the city and county of SanFrancisco, State of California, have invented certain Improvements inFurnaces for Heating B0ilers,=:&c., desig nated by me as a CombinedFurnace and Water -Heater, ofwhich the following'is a= specification: ia My invention consists, essentially, of an arched water tankor'heatercommunicating with any formof boiler, and provided'withanopenin'g'or' slot at the top, extending 'ncarly its entire length, saidarch forming thexroofi'of a furnace wherein air is admitted to the-fuelfor combustion purposes by flues that carry it through perforatedplatesor their equivalents placed lengthwise within this arch, oneon byentirely dispensing with these grate-openings for the admission of air.The flame from this fuel under combustion is thus made to rush throughthe top opening or slot, and is there again fed by several streams ofadditional air brought through another set of flues formed by corrugatedmetallic backiugs titted to the outer shell of this arched heater; and,lastly, this flame is made to pass under and through the connectedboiler to the chimney, so as, on its way, to heat still further thewater therein contained.

By this arrangement I claim that the flame is made more intense by itstemporary confinement within this arched chamber by reason of the nearlycomplete combustion of the inflammable gases therein, as also from thereflected heat produced in the same due to the shape of this waterheater arch; also, that those gases not completely consumed are entirelydisposed of by the separated airjets introduced onto the flame by thesecorrugated metallic flues after the manner of an ordinary oil-lampburner now in general use, while at the same time, bysuch completecombustion, sparks are prevented from rising to the boilerchimney;lastly, by reason of the combustion of these gases on this principle, Iclaim a greater heating capacity to the water contained in the boilerconnected to this heater for an equal amount of fuel used, since theflame, on receiving its last supply of air, and in its most intenseform,may be introduced still farther isection through the line Q Q, and thelower half through the line B R. 7

With reference to the drawing, A A is the arched tank or waterheater,connected to an ordinary flue-boiler, B B, by pipes P P, in such mannerthat when heat is applied to this arched heater A A a continuouscirculation of the contained water within this boiler and tank may beinsured. S S is the slot or opening provided on the top of this archedtank A A, leaving a connection, a a, between the legs 1 1 thereof. Eachof these legs I rests on a wall, 0 0, built the entire length thereof,while the front arched opening is faced by a furnacedoor and flue-plate,J J, and the rear is bricked up. Within the chamber thus formed a grate,g g, is fitted onto walls q q, so as to leave an ash-pit beneath andspaces for fines between the walls 0 o, supporting the legs l l andthese fire grate walls. A door, D, on each side of the ash-pit doors inthe plate J J, admits air to this fluespace F F thus made, and each suchflue is covered over by a perforated metallic plate inclined at aconsiderable angle to the grate g 9, so that jets of air may be thrownto both the top and sides of the burning fuel, and as much as possibleequally distributed over it. -()n the outer shell of each leg of thiswater-heater a metallic backing, O O, corrugated so as form numerousair-fines f j, is fitted, and these flues are so constructed as toterminate at the slot-opening S S, and receive this additionalair-supply from chambers extending the entire length of the tank, fromdoorsE E placed one on each side ot the first set of flue-doors D l). JJ, the furnace-door Fig; 3, wherein the upper half represents a plate,in addition to the furnace and flue doors named, is provided withash-pit doors e e, which are only opened for the purpose of clearing theash-pit, as the entire supply of air for combustion purposes isintroduced through these doors D D E E to their respective fluechambersF F G G.

The operation of this combined gas and smoke consuming furnace andwater-heater is as follows: On fuel being introduced through thefurnacedoor K onto the grate g g, and combustion induced in the usualmanner, this furnace-door K and these ash-pit doors e e are then closed,and the flue-doors D I) E E are either partially or entirely opened, asmay be required. By this action the air from the flues F F is mmediatelydrawn through the perforated plates over onto the tlame in the grategg,and thecombustion oftheinflammahlegases is there rendered nearlyperfect by being thrown back again onto the incandescent fuel by beingtemporarily confined in this arched heater before escaping through theopening S S, while the reflected heat of the inner shell of this tank AA still further helps to effect the object in view. By this means astrong current is produced through this opening S b, and the flame atthis point is attacked by these several jets of fresh air on both sidesat the same time, which air has already been heated by contact with theouter shell of the waterheater during its passage through the corrugatedflues ff.

This last device is supposed to effectually complete the combustion ofthe inflammable gases arising from the reduction of the fuel within thegrate, and the flame may then be conducted so as to spread in a sheet oneach side of the boiler B B on its way to the return flues I I, and passout toward the chimney, allowing of the passage of incombustible matterfree of any material in a burning condition, such as sparks, as such areleft or are disposed of in the furnace described.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combined furnace and waterheaterdescribed, consisting of the inclosed arched heater A A, provided withtop opening S S, and communicating with a boiler, B B, by pipes P P, theairflues F F, provided with perforated plates V V, constructed andarranged to the grate g g, as shown, and the combustion jet-flues O O ff, all for the purposes herein set forth and specified.

2. The combination, substantially as specified, of the grate and the airpassages or flues F F,which are covered with perforated plates,

inclined, as shown, so as to direct converging jets of air into thecombustion-chamber.

3. The corrugated metallic flue-backings G O, fitted to the outer shellof the tank A A, and flue-chambers G G, arranged as shown, incombination with the furnace-opening S S of the arched heater A A,substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and specified.

EDWARD FAIR.

Witnesses:

ALFRED O. CRANE, LIONEL VARIGAS.

